Yellow Tomato Caprese Sandwich

My boyfriend is going to be doing an internship in Africa starting in August for a year! We decided it would be fun to have a weekly date night where we plan something special for each other until he leaves. Last night I planned and I took Matthew on a picnic!

Our menu was:
A fresh mixed greens and baby spinach salad with champagne dressing
Yellow tomato caprese sandwiches (yellow tomatos are my favorite)
Chocolate covered strawberries for dessert (Matthew's favorite)
Orvieto Classico white wine

My sister showed me this wonderful spot that overlooks the Potomac River to take Matthew for our picnic.

Here is my recipe for 

Yellow Tomato Caprese Sandwiches

Makes two 6-inch sandwiches
Ingredients:

• 1 multi-grain french baguette
• 1 lb fresh mozzarella
• 2 medium yellow tomatoes 
• 2 medium red tomatoes
• A couple slices of grilled chicken (optional, I gave Matthew chicken because he loves meat!)
• 2 tbsp basil pesto (I used a Trader Joe's brand)
• 6-8 leaves of fresh basil
• fresh ground pepper to taste 

Preparation:

1. Slice the mozzarella and tomatos into thin slices. 

2. Using a serrated knife, cut two 6-inch pieces of the multi-grain baguette and then slice all the way through both leaving the baguettes facing open. 

3. On the inside of the baguette spread the pesto on one or both sides then begin to assemble the tomatoes (alternating red and yellow slices), mozzarella, basil, and chicken on one side of the baguette. Top it off with a sprinkle of fresh ground pepper.

4. Place the other half of the baguette on top of the prepared side and place the fully assembled sandwiches in a panini maker for about 5 minutes or until cheese begins to melt. 

5. Enjoy!

I'd say it was a successful first date-night to kick off the summer!

Now my mom wants to know when I am making dinner for the family... Stay tuned :)

Lemon Mint Cake

I was watching Giada yesterday and she made this cake that looked so light and fluffy. I woke up this morning and rummaged around my mom's pantry and just so happened to find all the ingredients (one perk of being a stay-at-home daughter)! So, I must give full credit to Giada but here is my rendition...

Lemon Mint Cake

Ingredients:
Butter for greasing
Flour for dusting the pan

Cake:

• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• pinch of salt
• 8 large mint leaves chopped
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp lemon zest

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8-inch round cake pan with butter and flour. 

For the cake: 

In a large bowl use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks. 

In a separate bowl, beat the canola oil, the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, and salt. Add egg yolks one at a time. Add the chopped mint, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Add flour and mix until combined. 

Slowly add 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the oil mixture using a rubber spatula and carefully folding the two mixtures together. Continue to carefully fold in the remaining egg white mixture. Spread the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool before slicing. 

For the syrup: 

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer until sugar is dissolved (about 5 minutes) stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and allow syrup to cool (about 20 minutes). 

To serve the cake, pour a spoonful of the syrup on a plate a lay a slice of cake on top. Drizzle the cake with additional syrup and garnish with a small sprig of mint! Enjoy!

Pastel De Tres Leches

In March I spent a week in Magdalena, Guatemala where I lived with a host family and another girl from JMU. Luckily she knew a good bit of Spanish because my background in French was not cutting it! During that week I celebrated my birthday and we found out that our host mom was a baker. She surprised me by making a delicious chocolate cake for breakfast.

This is the yummy chocolate cake mi madre, Antonieta, made!

By the end of the week we worked up the nerve (and the vocabulary) to ask our madre for some of her recipes. She gladly gave us the recipes for four of her favorite cake. I promised my friend for her birthday we would make the tres leches cake... So, here it is!

I will let you know now that the recipes were all in Spanish... So after hours on google translator I decided to call up a friend for her translating expertise...

Pastel De Tres Leches
Para el bizcocho: (dry ingredients)

• 9 eggs separated 
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Para el bano: (wet ingredients)

• 1 can condensed milk (14 oz.)
• 1 can evaporated milk (14 oz.)
• 1 cup heavy cream 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 tbsp liquor, rum or whisky (optional)

Para la cubierta: (icing)

• 5 egg whites
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• cinnamon to decorate the top

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350.

For the dry ingredients: beat the egg whites til they peak. Add sugar little by little. Add egg yokes one by one, beating until spongy. Incorporate the flour and baking soda, alternating with milk and vanilla. Pour into mold. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes. 

For the wet ingredients: Blend wet ingredients, pour over the cake after the cake has cooled. 

For the icing: Mix sugar and water until a hard ball point forms. Beat the egg whites to a peak. Combine in mixer and let mix for 5-10 minutes or until the icing is firm (be patient, I had to try the icing twice!). Sprinkle some cinnamon on top! 

The wet ingredients soaking into the cake.

Happy Birthday Lindsey! The cake turned out perfectly!